School of Secrets
by Qwerty616120
Summary: One school with a hidden secrets changes the lives of its students forever as they battle to escape the terrible fate they've been doomed to. One decision changes it all and the students are thrown into a whirlwind of effects that will last forever. (Percabeth later on; the 1st installment to the Secrets Trilogy.)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Hola! Welcome to my story! :) Got bored and decided to pound out a semi-au story, hope you guys enjoy. If you're 'new' to my work, a couple things you need to know- 1. I leave reviewer's questions at the bottom of every chapter. 2. Reviews make my day! 3. I own nothing- except the plot. Enjoy! **

Prelude (Annabeth's POV)

_Have you ever had a secret so big that you felt like you might explode? Well, my name's Annabeth Chase, and today I overhead something that could destroy us all. _

I stared at my journal entry, feeling a chill at my own words. They were true- I knew more than I should. Way more. And I had to protect my new secret at all cost- or they would destroy me to protect themselves.

Six years later….

Percy's POV

"We hope you'll enjoy you're time with us." Rattled on Mrs. Brooke. I tuned her out- I'd been to so many schools I practically had the whole welcome speech memorized. Sure, this one was a little different. A government funded boarding school in the middle of who-knows-where, it was a little unique, but it was a school all the same. Meaning I'd probably be expelled within the month.

"Miss Chase will show you around." Broke in the voice, and I looked up to find a teenage girl had entered the room while I'd been daydreaming. The girl was…wow. Tanned and tall with a slender form and curly blonde hair, her gray eyes flashed at me dangerously. It was hard to tell, but I judged her to be roughly around my age. 16, maybe? I flashed her a smile, but she gave a barely noticeable shake of her head. What the heck?

"Don't you think, Mr. Jackson?" Asked Mrs. Brooke. I glanced at her sheepishly.

"Uh, could you repeat the question please?" Mrs. Brooke gave me a sharp look of irritation.

"I said," She repeated. "You will be put on medication starting tomorrow to help with your ADHD. Don't you think that's for the best?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Annabeth flash a quick look at me and give a tiny shake of her head.

"Uh…no?" I said, confused. Mrs. Brooke's warm brown eyes seemed to harden.

"No? But don't you want to be able to concentrate?" She repeated in an insistent voice. I was getting a little creeped out, so it wasn't hard to refuse a second time.

"Um, no thanks. Really, I'm good." I muttered. From my peripheral vision, I saw Annabeth's face relax in relief. Before I was sure what I saw though, her cool, calculating expression was back in place.

"I'll start showing him around now." Interjected Annabeth before Mrs. Brooke could continue. Mrs. Brooke slowly nodded her head, making her brown bob haircut jiggle. Annabeth wasn't one to hang around admiring hairstyles, though. She pulled me out of the room faster than I thought possible.

"What was that about?" I asked, curious.

"What was what about?" She asked innocently, examining my schedule.

"That thing you just did back there! How come I shouldn't take the medicine?" At my words Annabeth's head snapped up.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said coolly. "Come on- I'll show you to your dorm."

As I followed her through the twisting maze of hallways and classrooms, I repeated my question several times. Each time she loudly interrupted me halfway through the sentence with random stuff like 'Yes, that's the science room' or 'can't you hold it? We just passed the bathroom!'" What was wrong with this girl? Eventually we stopped at in front of a regular looking brown door with the silver numbers 333 on it.

"Here's your dorm." She said, interrupting my half asked question again for the fifth time. Then she turned and disappeared down the hallway. Grabbing my bag I swung the door open, confused and as lost as I'd ever been in this new school.

Annabeth failed to mention that I'd have a roommate. If she had, I doubt she would have mentioned that he was a vegetarian, or that he had a strange laugh that closely resembled a goat's. The bleating vegetation in question was Grover Underwood, who introduced himself pretty quickly.

"Hey! You must be my new roommate." He said through a bite of apple.

"Yeah, my name's Percy." I said, idly marveling at how perfect the apple was. Sounds stupid, but you know those perfectly round, evenly colored fake Styrofoam apples? It looked like that. With a jolt, I realized it _was_ a fake apple. What was wrong with the students at this school?

"Grover." He replied through another plastic and foam crunch of fake fruit. "I'm surprised you found your way to the dorm so fast." He added as I plopped my suitcase down on one of the twin beds. "I got so lost my first day."

"Some girl named Annabeth Chase showed me the way." I explained. "You know her?"

"Do I know her?" Grover bleated. "We arrived together nine years ago, so I should!"

"She's kind of weird. No offense." I said. _Cute, though._ I added mentally. Grover got this worried look on his face.

"Yeah, well the transfer was hard for her." He said, sounding unconvinced. "The first three years or so she was fine, but then…" He trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know, but she got really serious and guarded."

Before I could ask more questions, I saw something that made me forget all of them.

"Hey G-man, is that Call of Duty?" I asked, my face splitting into a grin. Grover shot me a sly look.

"You play?"

"Only all the time!" With that we both shot toward the game counsel, the oddness of my new surrounding completely driven from my mind.

** Oh Percy… well, review, review, review! I'll update ASAP. Reviewer's Question: What do you think Annabeth's 'big secret' is? Normally I'd tell you guys my answer, but this time that would be cheating. :) In the mean time, don't forget to check out my other stories! Until next time! **


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everybody! I'm back! Something I forgot to mention in the last chapter- I don't update until I get at least one review. Not that hard, especially if you answer the reviewer's questions I leave at the bottom of every chapter, because that counts. :) Shout outs:

**Me Myself and Not You****- You're close, but her secret is a little more serious than that. Good guess, though. :) **

**Disclaimer: What does almost every character in this story have in common? None of them belong to me… *sniff* **

Annabeth's POV

That new boy- Peter? No, Percy. Yeah, that was his name. - Could he be any more _stupid_? Asking me why I had warned him about the medication, my gods! Hasn't he ever heard of _cameras_? If Mrs. Brooke saw that footage and thought I was tampering with their precious system, she'd report me. And I had no desire to see him again, the 'him' in question being the headmaster, that filthy, betraying little…

_Calm down, Annabeth, _Said the sensible part of me. _Don't get all worked up. It's over, move on. _I took a deep breath and counted to ten. Upset people lose their senses and make mistakes, I reminded myself. And here, mistakes were fatal.

"Earth to Annabeth?" Came a voice, snapping me from my fuming. I stopped glaring at my slice of pizza and looked up to see my roommate, Thalia Grace, giving me a concerned look from across the lunch table. Her electric blue eyes were worried, and her choppy black hair framed her face. She wore a black vest over her silvery shirt and ripped black jeans. To complete the outfit, she wore dark blue lace-up knee-high boots and silver bracelets that jingled when she moved.

"You ok?" She asked, taking another bite of her meat lover's pizza.

"Yeah." I lied. "Just ran into a new kid. He's kind of… dense." I said lamely.

"New kid?" She said around her pizza. "Who's the new kid?"

"Percy Jackson." I said. "You know, Grover's new roommate." At my words Thalia gagged, choking on her pizza.

"_Percy Jackson_ is Grover's new roommate? Are you sure?" She asked after taking a drink of coke.

"One hundred percent." I said, giving my best friend a tell-me-what-you-know look. "Why?" Before Thalia could answer, Grover plopped himself down across from Thalia and me with his slice of Vegetarian pizza.

"What's up, guys?" He asked, taking a huge bite.

"Your new roommate is Percy?" Cried Thalia. Just as the words burst out of her mouth Percy himself sat down next to Grover.

"Hey Annab- Thalia?!" He cried, his green eyes widening in shock.

"How do you two know each other?" Asked Grover, looking about as confused as I felt. (And I hate feeling confused.)

"Percy is my cousin." Thalia explained. "I haven't seen him since I came here from Alaska." Now Percy looked confused.

"Alaska?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "We both lived in Manhattan."

"You never told me you were from Manhattan." Bleated Grover, sounding hurt.

"I'm not." Said Thalia. "I'm from Alaska. Are you feeling ok, Percy?" She asked, sounding concerned.

"What? No you're not. I've got pictures of us in Manhattan as kids. You've never even been to Alaska." Said Percy. Uh oh. Time to intervene.

"Must have been someone else." I said quickly. "Thalia, can you come with me to the bathroom? Thanks." I said before she could answer. Then, grabbing her hand, I dragged her off down the hallway, away from Percy and Grover, who were shooting each other confused looks.

Once in the bathroom, I leaned against the sink and tightened my ponytail, looking at my reflection in the circular mirror.

"I think Percy's gone off the deep end." Said Thalia after a minute.

"Mum hum," I murmured. "Definitely. Maybe he suffered a concussion or something after you left?" I suggested, not looking my friend in the eye. I could lie well, but I didn't like lying to Thalia. Maybe it wasn't exactly a lie, but it was close enough.

"Yeah," said Thalia slowly. "Maybe. Come on, my pizza's getting cold." As she left, I glanced at myself over my shoulder in the mirror. _Do something. _My reflection seemed to accuse. _Thalia's next, and you know it. When are you going to admit you need help? _

"Shut up." I told my reflection.

"Annabeth? You coming?" Called Thalia from the hallway. Turning from the mirror and ignoring my pressing worries, I left the bathroom and followed Thalia back to the cafeteria.

Hum… suspicious. Review and I'll update! Reviewer's Question: So, Prachel or Percabeth? I'm for Percabeth, but I promise I won't judge if you're for Prachel…well, maybe a little. ;) Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, all! Yes, that's right- it's time for another chapter! Yay! I had several reviewers tell me that we needed some Percabeth in this story. Guys, there's going to be Percabeth, but not for a while. Give them time to get to know each other. I'm not going to make any promises about when their relationship will come official, but at least not for another two or three chapters. Ok, so now that that's cleared up, time for the disclaimer: **

** Percy: Say it. **

** Me: I own all! **

** Percy: *Uncaps Riptide* You don't own me! **

** Me: Ok, Ok! RR owns all! **

** Percy:…Who is RR? **

Percy's POV

A month flew by, and I figured I'd settled in well. Sure, some of the students were a little strange. Thalia still insisted that she came from Alaska and Grover still bleated like a goat and ate fake fruit, but that was slowly changing. Somehow the idea of Thalia being from Alaska was starting to make sense… surely I'd just been mistaking before. And Grover's appetite had changed. He was still a vegetarian, but fake fruit was slowly losing its appeal to him, and each week he ate more normal food and less plastic. And for me… well, life was good. There were no bullies and I had great friends- what else could a guy ask for?

Annabeth's Journal/ Annabeth's POV

A month has passed and the effects on Percy are obvious. His green eyes have gotten dull and he's become so submissive. I was hoping his rebellious attitude would persevere and he would be the one to question the system, but looks like that won't happen. Now that I've gotten to know him, though, I can't imagine him figuring it out. That boy is as dumb as a clump of seaweed. Thalia and Grover are no better- Thalia is completely convinced that she's from Alaska and I doubt she even remembers her little brother, Jason. When she first came here, he was all she could talk about. She was so worried about him. Now she never even mentions him. Grover is eating a normal diet for once, and normally I'd be happy about that. (So much plastic can't be good for him.) But now it's just another sign that they're getting to him. I wish there was something I could do to protect my friends, but I'm just one girl. I've been here for seven years now, and nothing has worked. So many have come and gone over the years- Silena, Charlie, Ethan, and even Drew, who I never really liked, but even she didn't deserve what happened to her. I'm so close to giving up… what's the use of always fighting a battle that you can't win?

I slammed my journal shut and shoved it in the little groove where I hid it behind my dresser. A picture slipped out of the groove, and I picked it up. I'd forgotten I'd put it in there, but when I saw it I clearly remembered why. In the picture I was standing in front of the Washington Monument. My little brothers, Matthew and Bobby, were smiling their toothy grins on one side of me and one of my best friends stood on my other side. He had blonde hair and a long scar up one side of his face, but his blue eyes weren't cold and hard in the picture. They were happy and crinkled at the edges by his wide smile- the way Luke had always used to look. The picture was stained and curled at the edges from tears. (Lets just say that when Luke betrayed me, it hurt. A lot.) I turned my face from the happy picture and shoved it back in the little crevice. I hated looking at it, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.

"…And you should have seen the look on Mrs. Kellar's face!" Laughed Thalia as she entered the dorm, talking as though we'd already been having a conversation.

"Hi Thals," I said, grinning. It was impossible to be sad and gloomy with her around.

"I'm going to see if Mrs. Brooke caught Conner and Travis's prank on the security cameras and download it to my phone," Continued Thalia. I rolled my eyes, mentally translating Thalia's real meaning: I'm bad with computers, so I'm asking you to get the video for me.

"No, Thalia," I said dryly. "I'm not hacking the computer system for you." Thalia didn't pout though.

"I've got the key to the security room." She said instead, as if I'd never spoken. "You better go now."

"I'm not getting the video!" I repeated, a bit louder this time.

"Sure you are." She said cheerfully, pulling me to my feet and pushing me toward the door.

"Why would I do that?" I asked as Thalia pressed the key into my hand.

"Because," She explained as she pushed me into the hallway. "The door's locked and you're not coming in 'till you have the video." Then with a wink she shut the door in my face and I heard a click as she locked it.

"Thalia!" I said, beating on the door with my fist. "C'mon, let me in!" No answer.

"Fine! Be like that!" I fumed, stomping off down the hallway. Turning the corner, I ran straight into Percy.

"Oomph!" Grunted Percy as he steadied both of us. "Careful. Hey, isn't your dorm the other way?"

"Yeah," I explained. "But Thalia wants me to get a video for her of some prank the Stoll brothers pulled in her forth period math class."

"But curfew is in 30 minutes." Protested Percy.

"I know." I said. "So we better hurry, because Thalia won't let me in until I get it!"

"We?" Asked Percy, raising one eyebrow.

"Please?" I begged, clasping my hands together. "To defy authority and get into trouble?" At my words he grinned. Maybe his rebellious spirit wasn't completely gone after all.

"Now you're speaking my language!" He said. "Lead the way." And with that, we headed off down the hallway, ready to hack some computers.

"Stop that!" I snapped as Percy made a bow with random wires and held it up proudly. Maybe a little harsh, but being so near the office where the headmaster stayed was making me nervous. He frowned and stuck his tongue out at me as I sat down at the computer.

"Keep watch." I ordered.

"Yes ma'am." He muttered, rolling his eyes, obviously not understanding why I was suddenly so tense. Turning my attention from him I focused on the computer screen. Scrolling through the footage, I scanned the six small squares that showed images from different cameras.

"Hey, what's that?" Asked Percy from behind me, making me jump.

"Percy!" I snapped. "I thought you were keeping watch!"

"Got bored." He shrugged, giving me a sheepish look. "Anyways," he continued. "Zoom in on that screen. What's going on there?" Hesitantly I zoomed in on the screen he pointed to, and instantly regretted it.

On the screen the headmaster and Mrs. Brooke were leading a teenage boy into a room with white cabinets and a large seat in the middle. They put him in the seat while he shot them a confused look.

"Lets go." I said, but Percy didn't move.

"Wait." He said stubbornly. "What are they doing to him?" I didn't answer. On the screen they strapped him in all the while mouthing fake reassurances. Mrs. Brooke picked up a small white remote and glanced over at the headmaster, who gave a firm nod. As she pressed several buttons I winced and turned away from the screen, glad I couldn't hear the kid's screams.

"What are they doing?" Cried Percy sounding panicked. I stood up, feeling sick as a small capsule appeared on the counter near the headmaster and the machine turned off. The kid went limp, still alive, but "drained" in a way.

"C'mon." I chocked out, turning the monitor off. "Let's get out of here." This time Percy didn't object as I led him out of the room.

**Slowly we're getting to the big secret! Hope that wasn't to "violent" or anything- I tried to keep it kind of toned down, because I wasn't sure what was too much. Anyways, reviewer's question: What do you think Luke did that made Annabeth hate him so much? Until next time! **


	4. Chapter 4

I'm back! I meant to update sooner, but Student Council elections rolled around for next year and I spent the weekend writing my speech and making posters. Once again, sorry guys. Ok, moving on. Shout outs:

Rofl copter- Thanks for clearing that up. :)

XxbethamphetaminexX- I hope that 9000 out of 10! ;)

AnonFan- You. Are. So. Close.

Disclaimer: This is such a waste of space… I'm not RR….

Percy's POV

I was freaking out. FREAKING OUT, PEOPLE! As Annabeth pulled me through the maze of halls toward my dorm, I tried to splutter my frantic question into coherent words.

"What- That boy- Annabeth- What were they doing?!" I cried as Annabeth stopped in front of my door. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure we couldn't be seen, she turned back to me and handed me the tape she'd gotten from the Security Room.

"Yes, the presentation's done." She said loudly and then stumbled forward as if she had tripped. I quickly lunged forward and caught her. When I did she began to whisper as quickly and quietly as she could in my ear.

"Shut up! They have cameras! Do you want to be next?" Then she quickly pulled back, apologizing for being a klutz. Slowly understanding dawned on me. All those times she had cut me off, she'd been trying to protect us.

"Hey, lets edit the presentation on my laptop." I said. "I can't quite figure out how to match the sound up with the images." I looked her straight in the eyes as I said it. She hesitated, and I could see that she was trying to decide how much I should know.

"Ok." She said finally, and I pulled her into my room and slammed the door shut as fast as I could.

"Annabeth, what was that?" I asked, desperately hoping she would say something like _April Fools! That was just a very safe, justified medical operation on that teenage boy. _Before answering me, though, she glanced around the room, making sure Grover wasn't here.

"Where's Gro-" She began, but I interrupted her quickly.

"At some 'Save the Rainforest' convention in the cafeteria. Annabeth, what is going on?!" I repeated desperately. She took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. I sat down on the armchair opposite her and looked her in the eye. What ever this was, it obviously scared her.

"Annabeth," I said, more gently this time. "Tell me."

"Do you know what this school is called?" She began, continuing before I could answer. "Its called MIST, or Missing Intellect of Special Talents. The students here- you, me, everyone- we're… special, you could say. And for us, this school is a dangerous place to be." I opened my mouth to ask what 'special' meant in this context, but she stopped me.

"Just let me finish, Percy." She said and I snapped my mouth shut. "The goal of MIST _used_ to be to cover us up from ordinary citizen's eyes. Take us out of society and hide us. But lately…" She stopped short and moved on, a little too quickly. "They drug you, change up your memories. If you forget you're unique, all the better for them." I was silent for a moment.

"But that machine." I protested. "What were they _doing?_" Annabeth shifted uncomfortably at my question. "And that guy with the remote? Who was he?" At my last question Annabeth tensed up.

"Nobody, Percy." She said tightly. "Just forget what you saw, ok?"

"Look, Annabeth, those people are getting hurt! We have to help them!" I argued. "We can't just forget!" Annabeth seemed to deflate.

"I know." She said softly, staring at her shoes. "But there's only so much one teenager can do, you know?" I got up and moved over to sit next to her.

"Hey," I said gently. "Now it's two teenagers. I'll help you, Annabeth." Then I slipped my hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze. She studied me for a moment.

"Ok," She finally said softly. "I believe you." I knew she was holding something back, but for now the fact that she trusted me was enough. Besides, there's only so much one guy can take all at once like that. There was one thing I did really want to know now, though.

"You said we were 'special.' Special how?" Annabeth groaned at my question.

"I knew you would ask that. We hav-" She was interrupted by Grover swinging the door open with a _bang_ and a half-eaten enchilada hanging out of his mouth.

"Hey, Perc-" He cut off as he looked at Annabeth and me. Sitting next to each other on a couch. Holding hands. "Oh." He said as his eyebrows shot up. "You guys move fast." At his words Annabeth and I both turned beet red and jumped away from each other.

"No, that wasn't-"

"You don't understand-"

"We were just-"

"That was just-"

"Look," Said Grover, holding up his hands to stop our hurried rush of excuses. "You don't have to explain stuff to me." But he bit his lip as if to stop himself from busting out laughing.

"I better go." Mumbled Annabeth.

"Yeah," I muttered, still embarrassed. "Bye, Wise Girl." She raised her eyebrows curiously at my new nickname for her, but didn't question it in front of Grover.

"'Night, Percy." She said as she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"So," Dawdled Grover innocently. "You and Annabeth, huh?"

"I wish." I snorted, still staring at the closed door, Annabeth's words echoing in my head. _We're special, you could say, and for us this school is a very dangerous place to be. _

Well, a little light is shed on the school. Did anyone notice what I did with the Mist thing? Huh? Huh? No? Oh well. Ok, my reviewers question is a little different this time. It's more like I'm asking your advice on something. I've been thinking about writing a story about Percabeth in Medieval times. You know, where Percy is a king or something. I haven't really worked out the details, but if I wrote a story like that, would ya'll read it? 'Till next time!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello, my amazing readers! Yes, I'm back, and with an update! *Does happy dance* Shout outs:

AliceOfMusic- You're asking the right questions! ;)

AnonFan- You're right, this story thrives on secrecy. :) Eventually everything will be revealed and it will turn more to adventure, but I'd like to keep that mystery factor in there for as long as possible (of course.)

allen r- Honestly, if I write that story, they probably won't start as a couple. Sorry. :( I'll think about it, but I can't promise it will happen. If you have a plot idea with them as a couple, don't be afraid to PM me and tell me, though! I'm defiantly willing to write a "specialty" story for you!

KatieElizabethGrace-  I'm glad you like it so much. :)

Disclaimer: No estoy RR. I'm 'non RR. Ik ben niet RR. 我不是RR. Nie som RR. I'm not RR.

Annabeth's POV

_Did I do the right thing by telling him? _I wondered nervously. The question had been preying on my mind all week. I had no doubt that Percy would genuinely try to help me- us- because it wasn't hard to tell that he was loyal to his friends. And since I qualified as his friend, that included me. No, that wasn't what worried me. What worried me was that he was _too_ loyal, and Thalia was next in line for an appointment with the headmaster. I'd done everything I could to delay it, but I knew I couldn't stop it, and if Percy found out… what if he did something rash? Of course, I had been here with Thalia and Grover for years and accomplished nothing. Maybe we needed a fighter. Thalia and Grover… every time I looked at them I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. _Guilt_ whispered the honest part of me. I'd told Percy, who I'd known for a few short months, the truth about MIST before I'd told Thalia and Grover, my oldest friends. Sure, I hadn't told him everything, but still…

"Miss Chase? Care to explain the quadratic equation on the board to us?" Mr. Thompson's dry, scratching voice interrupted my thoughts suddenly. I glanced at the board and shot the answer back at him, enjoying the look of startled disbelief on his face. _Thought you caught me drifting off, hum? Think again! _I thought, giving a small grin of victory. It was nice to know that despite all my troubles, simple joys like outsmarting a mean teacher still existed, even in MIST.

Naturally the moment had to be ruined by none other than Mrs. Brooke, who walked in that moment with a friend. The said friend was a girl around my age, maybe a year younger, who looked like an art explosion. Her curly red hair hung around her shoulders and had gold glitter sprinkled through it. Her green eyes matched her green shirt that read _Art: It comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable._ Her jeans, which as near as I could tell used to be white, were splattered with multicolored paint and marker doodles. All in all, it was a crazy look that the girl somehow managed to pull off.

"Class, this is Rachel Dare." Rachel cringed as Mrs. Brooke said her last name, as if she had revealed a big secret, but looked surprised when the class just looked vaguely bored. I understood her shock, though. Dare? How many Rachel _Dare_s could there be? Exactly. I would bet anything that her parents ran Dare Enterprise in NYC. If the kids in my class didn't have their memories so disoriented, maybe they would have recognized her name.

"She is going to be attending school here, so I expect you all to welcome her warmly." Mrs. Brooke continued, addressing the entire class, but staring straight at me. Her expression seemed to say: _Don't get in my way with this one. _

"Rachel?" Interrupted Percy is shocked disbelief.

"Hi, Percy." She grinned, looking relieved to recognize someone. Percy's expression turned to a muted kind of horror, and since he knew how awful MIST was beneath its glittering surface, I understood why. Rachel, however, looked hurt at his obvious lack of enthusiasm to see her.

"Miss Dare, since you seem to know Percy, why don't you sit by him? Mr. Underwood, please let her have your seat and move over by Miss Chase." Directed Mr. Thompson. Satisfied that Rachel was settled, Mrs. Brooke turned and left the room and Mr. Thompson resumed teaching. I yanked a piece of paper out of my notebook and quickly scrawled a note to Percy:

_Who's that? _

_ -Annabeth _

Then I passed the note to Grover, who sent it on its way to Percy. I looked back to the board, but from the corner of my eye watched Percy read the note. He glanced over at me and mouthed _you mean Rachel? _I gave a small nod and he started writing something on the paper before passing it back my way.

_She went to Goode High School with me for a while before transferring to some all girls academy. Over Summer_ _Vacation she'd come back to use her artwork to raise money for museums and art clubs and stuff, and we'd hang out. She's a really good friend- you'll like her. She's smart, and she's a really good artist. _

_ -Percy _

I quickly read the note and then glanced over at Rachel. A really good artist… somehow hearing Percy praise her rubbed me the wrong way. I shook it off, though. First things first- figure out what was special about her.

_I don't suppose you know why she's here? _

_ -Annabeth _

_ No… unless art counts as a special talent. _

_ -Percy _

_ It doesn't. That's just a regular talent, like being able to sing well or being really athletic. _

_ -Annabeth _

I leaned back and studied Rachel, a bit frustrated. I could usually figure out what was special about something right away. Grover? I knew right away. Thalia? Easy. Percy? Piece of cake. But Rachel…

_RING….RING….RING _

The moment the bell sounded everyone in the room jumped up and surged to the door, desperate to be out of the stifling classroom after a long day of learning.

I went to my locker, and since Mr. Thompson's Algebra 2 class was my last class of the day, grabbed my homework and headed to my dorm. When I got there, I found another surprise. A certain redhead girl was in my dorm.

"Rachel?" I gasped. "Why are you in my room?" I asked, my shock turning into a guarded anger.

"I'm your new room mate." She explained. Never mind, I was shocked again.

"Room mate?" I said blankly. I guess it made sense- each pale tan colored dorm had two sets of bunk beds, a small kitchen, and a large bathroom, so that each dorm could fit four, and it was only Thalia and I in this dorm. In my defense, though, I assumed that the headmaster wouldn't want to put anyone else in the same room for an extended period of time with me, the only person who knew his secret.

"Who are you?" Asked Thalia as she entered the room behind me. I'd almost forgotten that Thalia wasn't in my Algebra 2 class, so she hadn't met Rachel yet.

"I'm Rachel," She said with a small wave. "Your new room mate?" She prompted when Thalia looked as shocked as I felt.

"No one told us we were getting a new room mate." I finally managed after an uncomfortably long silence.

"Oh. So, uh, Thalia, you're Percy's cousin, right?" Rachel asked awkwardly as Thalia set her bag down on her bed.

"That's right." Thalia confirmed. "How do you know Percy?"

"She's an old friend of Percy's from Manhattan." I answered for her, putting a slight emphasis on friend.

"You must be Percy's girlfriend." Said Rachel, fishing for a reason for my unfriendly attitude.

"She wishes." Thalia snorted, making me turn beet red.

"Do not." I snapped as understanding dawned on Rachel's face.

"Oh." She said, giving me a cold look that mirrored my own. "So you're one of Percy's _friends_, too." I shot her a killer glare, making her flinch slightly before recovering and returning a glare of her own.

"Right… uh, Annabeth, I need help with this History question.." Interrupted Thalia quickly, trying to ease the sudden tension.

"Sure, Thals." I said, turning my back on Rachel, who grabbed her bathroom supplies and stomped off to the bathroom.

*Midnight that night*

I blinked open my eyes sleepily, blinking down at Rachel, who was awake on the bunk below mine. She was sitting up, writing something in an old looking spiral bound notebook. She hadn't noticed that she had woken me up, so I leaned over the side of my bed slightly so that I could see what she was writing at 12 at night. When I saw what she had written, I almost fell out of bed. I was now sure of two things- I knew her talent, and more importantly, she knew the truth about MIST.

** So, Rachel is thrown into the mix and Annabeth's getting jealous… uh-oh. And she knows the truth! *insert dramatic drum roll here* Ok, reviewer's question: What are your thoughts on the PJO movie? I didn't like it… the actors were too old, (I love Logan Lerman, don't get me wrong, but he's WAY to old..) the plot was messed up- it was just all wrong. I really hope the second one's better, because they really messed up the first one. Oh well… until next time! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back with a pretty important chapter- major secrets revealed about the headmaster! :) Shoutouts: **

**AnonFan- ****Well, like I said, there is a secret revealed in this one. :) **

**allen r- ****Hollywood does change a lot of plots, that true, but some stay pretty true to the book. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, for example. **

**XxbethamphetaminexX****- ****Making you curious was the whole point! Haha ;) By the way, when I saw that you described the movie as "craptastic" I died laughing. I know you were being serious, but I've never heard it described that way before… I'm so stealing that word. **

**Thanks to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed this story. I really appreciate the support. :) **

**Disclaimer: There's a reason this is called a Fanfiction… enough said. **

Rachel's POV

I was happily dreaming that Percy and I were still in New York, when my dream suddenly shifted. I was watching a scene unfold like a person watching a movie- seeing everything and unable to do a thing.

I was looking at a large office with an oak desk, oak doors, and wall to wall bookshelves. The large window was framed by satin curtains and the elaborately designed Persian Rug on the floor was the same shade of deep red. Sitting at the desk was a young man who looked to be in his late teens, early twenties. It was hard to tell, because his back was to me as he typed away on his silver laptop, so I couldn't see his face. There was a quick knock on the door and the man swiveled his chair so that he faced the oak doors, his back still to me.

"Come in." He called, and the woman who had showed me around earlier entered the room. Mrs. Brooke, that had been her name.

"Sir," She greeted.

"Brooke," He replied, motioning for her to sit down in a black leather chair across from his desk. She obliged, pulling an iPad onto her lap.

"Sir," She repeated. "There's something I found on the records I think you should see."

"Well, go ahead and show me." Said the man. Mrs. Brooke slid the iPad across the desk to him and I silently moved right behind the man's chair so that I could see the screen over his shoulder. The man pressed play and a black and white video began to play.

"Percy, stop that!" Crackled a girl's voice through the speakers. I recognized the voice imminently- it was that Annabeth girl. Sure enough, she walked into view, closely followed by Percy. The room looked like some kind of security office- blinking computers and such.

As I watched, Annabeth sat down at one of the computers and ordered Percy to keep watch. She began tampering with the computer and eventually brought up what looked suspiciously like a security camera feed. While she was looking at the screen, Percy came up behind her and asked her to zoom in on one camera's footage. She reluctantly obliged and the two watched a young boy being hooked up to some machine. I felt sick as I watched the video- sick and horrified. Video Percy looked like he felt much the same way, but Annabeth looked didn't look surprised. Uneasy, maybe, but not surprised. The man tapped the screen and stopped the video.

"So now he knows, too." He said in an eerily calm voice.

"Yes, sir, I believe so." Replied the secretary. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Why didn't we just kill the Chase girl? She knows so much, and it would be so easy-" She broke off abruptly as the man stood up and leaned over his desk. For a moment, I thought he was about to attack her.

"If you lay one hand on Annabeth Chase, it will be the last thing you ever do." He said in a barely audible voice that shook with anger. Mrs. Brooke paled and nodded, obviously not used to being threatened by her boss.

"Yes, Sir." She whispered. The man sat back down, but his tense shoulders told me that he was still majorly ticked off.

"Get out of my office." He demanded, and she jumped to her feet and rushed from the room.

"And Brooke?" Called the man after her.

"Yes, headmaster?" She asked, not meeting his gaze.

"Schedule Chase for an appointment with me. Obviously, she didn't get the message last time." He commanded coolly.

"Of course." And with that, Mrs. Brooke was gone. The man swiveled his chair around to look out the window, lost deep in thought, and for the first time, I saw the headmaster's face.

He had blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a long scar that ran from his cheekbone to his chin. His nametag read _Headmaster Luke Castellan. _

I woke up with my heart racing and the sheets tangled around my legs. The clock next to my bed read 12:00, but I ignored it and flipped on a small book light, grabbing my old notebook. I flipped through the pages that were filled to the brim with doodles of previous dreams and notes I had made until I found a blank spot and began to draw the headmaster and his office with Brooke and her iPad. My hand shook slightly as I drew, but the picture was still unmistakable. I heard brief creaking sound from Annabeth's bunk as she shifted above me, but ignored it as I finished my drawling. It was important I got it down- I didn't want to forget a single detail, because anything could be useful later.

After all, my dreams always came true.

** Short, but important. :) Some of you were so close with your headmaster guess, but no one actually suggested that Luke **_**was**_** the headmaster. And we now know Rachel's ability- she can predict the future! Oh? You guessed that already? Well, then. Reviewer's Question: Who else is going crazy waiting for the next Hunger Games movie? I am! The first one was great! Leave your thoughts in the reviews. Also, for those of you craving fluff that I haven't been able to fit into this story (yet) check out my A to Z Drabbles. :) Until next time! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all my amazing readers! Yes, I'm updating again. :) But before we get into this chapter I have a very ****IMPORTANT QUESTION: What are communities and forums, and how do you join one? Please PM me or tell me in the reviews. Thank you! ****Now, Shout outs: **

**annades49800****- Your wish is granted. :) **

**XxbethamphetaminexX****- I hope it's ok that Luke still has a thing for Annabeth in this one, then… **

**Disclaimer: My name is Qwerty, not RR. He owns all. **

Annabeth's POV

I read the note Percy had passed me and read it quickly, grinning.

_ Bored. To. Death. Somebody help me! _

_ -Percy _

I shot Percy a look, still grinning. Passing notes in class had become a regular pastime for us, and I had to admit my original impression of Percy had been pretty inaccurate. When I'd first meet him, he'd seemed dumb and arrogant to me. Now that I'd gotten to know him, though, I had to admit I'd been wrong. He was funny, nice, loyal, and it defiantly helped that he was cute- wait, what was I thinking?!

I began to scrawl a note back, but stopped and looked up when Mrs. Brooke walked into the room. She walked over to the history teacher swiftly and began talking to him in a low, urgent whisper. The history teacher, Mr. Wynne, looked like he might pass out. A middle-aged man who resembled a walrus with wrinkled skin and a flat nose, I doubt he ever thought the much younger secretary would ever look his way, let alone speak to him. Talk about a creepy crush.

"Miss Chase, come with me please." Said Mrs. Brooke, turning from Mr. Wynne. I got up to follow her out of the classroom, and when I passed Percy's desk he whispered "_be careful" _I left the classroom and followed Mrs. Brooke down the hallway, a bit confused. She turned down one hallway, and then another, and I stopped short as I realized where she was taking me. Fear bubbled up inside of me, but I shoved it down.

_No fear, Annabeth. _I said mentally. _No fear. No fear. No fear. _I chanted mentally.

"Here we are." Said Brooke shortly, not looking me in the eye. I looked up at the double doors and rapped my knuckles against the cool oak once… then twice.

"Come in," came the all to familiar voice from behind the doors. I pushed open one of the doors in response and entered the large office. The blonde man behind the desk motioned for me to sit down. I remained standing.

"Annabeth," He greeted.

"Luke." I said shortly. He sighed at my unfriendly tone.

"Annabeth," He begged. "We could work so well together. Think of the possibilities!" I remained silent, giving him my trademark glare. Luke groaned and ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

"We could do great things! Our parents betrayed us by sending us to this crappy school. With us in charge, we could make them pay." He growled, putting a heavy emphasis on "make them pay."

"I told you once and I'll tell you again- your plan is inhuman and I don't want any part of it." I snapped, finally breaking my silence. Luke's blue eyes grew cold again.

"What all the promises you made? What about old times?"

"What about old times?" I retorted. "What about the promises _you_ made, Luke?" At my last question his face hardened and his eyes flashed dangerously, but I continued on.

"What happened to you, Luke?" I asked, all but pleading with him now. "You used to be so… so _happy._"

"Things change, Annabeth." He snapped.

"They sure do." I muttered quietly. "What do you want, Luke?" I asked, louder this time.

"I know you told Jackson the truth." He said coolly, his scar giving him a sinister air. "I told you not to get in my way." I didn't say anything. Anger had driven my fear from my mind, but now that my anger was fading, my fear was returning.

"If it happens again, I will have no choice but to alternate you." His cold look flickered for a moment at the words, but soon his cruel mask was back in place. My fear must have shown on my face, because he gave a satisfied nod.

"Lets not let it happen again." He said, motioning to the door. I turned and walked to the exit, a bit to fast.

"And Annabeth?" I turned back to him reluctantly.

"My offer still stands, as it always had over the years. Think about it, Ok?" I didn't say a word, just gave Luke one last sad look and left the room.

"You ok?" Asked Percy for the millionth time.

"I'm fine, Percy." I lied, as I had previously when he had asked.

"What happened again?" He asked, still looking concerned. Thalia and Grover on either side looked equally worried, but Rachel was just shooting me knowing looks out of the corner of her eye.

"I told you," I said. "Mrs. Brooke just wanted to ask me to clarify something on my registration form. That was it." I lied, not looking Percy in the eye. I was sure if I did, he would see how guilty I felt.

"Crap," Said Rachel suddenly. "I left my math book in our dorm." I glanced at the clock- our five-minute break in between classes was almost over, and we had math next.

"Can you find your way to the dorm by yourself?" Asked Thalia as she pulled her own math book out of her locker.

"No, I just know I'll get lost. Annabeth, can you show me the way?" She asked innocently. I shot a _what on earth _look toward Thalia. Rachel and I had settled into an unfriendly way of barely tolerating each other, and her asking me for help now was a bit of a surprise.

"You sure you don't want me to show you the way?" Asked Thalia carefully.

"No, you already have too many tardy slips. You'd get a detention. Annabeth can help me." Rachel explained. I hated to admit it, but Rachel was right.

"I'll help her." I agreed reluctantly. "You go ahead to class, Thals."

"Ok, whatever you say." Shrugged Thalia as she grabbed the last book from her locker. "See you in class!" She called over her shoulder as she walked off, Grover and Percy in tow. I turned to Rachel, and without saying a word, headed off to our dorm.

When we got to the dorm, I turned to Rachel and crossed my arms accusingly. Just as I'd suspected, Rachel's math book wasn't in our dorm.

"What do you want, Rachel?" I asked, my tone carefully guarded.

"Look, Annabeth." She began. "I know you know the truth."

"So?" I asked.

"So," She replied. "I want to know what you're gonna do."

"Do?" I snapped, in a bit of a bad mood after my meeting with Luke. Besides, Rachel wasn't exactly my favorite person. "There's nothing to do."

"That's what Luke wants you to think." I snapped my head up and looked over at her sharply.

"Ho do you know Luke?"

"I had a dream about him." She answered truthfully. I groaned- I'd forgotten Rachel could see the future.

"So what do you want me to do?" I asked, being genuine for once.

"This." Said Rachel, handing me a wrinkled piece of paper. I unfolded it and glanced at it, recognizing it immediately.

"You went through my journal!" I cried in outrage.

"Actually, I wrote that. I had a dream years ago where you wrote that in your journal, and I copied it down. I had no idea at the time what it meant or who you were, but now I do. That-" She broke off as she gestured to the paper. "Could work."

I looked down at the paper. When I'd first found out the truth, I had drawn up an escape plan. I'd shown it to Luke, and the plan had been for us to escape together and get help. Then Luke had betrayed me, and things had gone downhill from there.

"A few changes, and it would work." Prompted Rachel when I didn't respond.

"This would be dangerous." I warned. "Very dangerous. We would probably all die."

"Better than living here." Said Rachel softly. I gave her a long look.

"Don't get me wrong," sneered Rachel quickly. "I still hate you. But I'm not stupid enough to let that stop me from escaping." I looked back to the paper.

"Let me think about it." I said finally.

"You better hurry." Warned Rachel. "Luke is almost ready to complete his big plan, and if we're here when he does…" She trailed off, but I knew what she was thinking. _If we're here, we'll all die anyway. _

**Yup… so, the next chapter will have the big secret, for all my curious people. We're almost there! :) Remember- please answer my important question at the beginning of the chapter. That would help me tons! :) Reviewers question: any guesses at Annabeth's escape plan? Until next time! **


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm updating again! Yay! You guys win, by the way. I give up, you'll get your Percabeth in this chapter. Yup…so, shout outs: **

**Katrox300-**** Don't worry, Rachel and Annabeth will eventually become great friends. And, as I said, you will see some Percabeth in this chapter. :) **

XxbethamphetaminexX- In this story, Annabeth is 16 and Luke is 20. allen r- I hope that this counts… Disclaimer: Hahahahahahahahahah NO. Percy's POV

I looked around the room curiously. I was in Annabeth's dorm (which was against the rules, but YOLO, right?) and it wasn't just me. I sat on an empty bunk, with Grover next to me. Thalia sat on her bed and Rachel sat at the white desk in the dorm, while Annabeth stood up in the middle of the room. There were a few others scattered around the room that I didn't recognize, though. One girl with multicolored eyes sat next to large teen with an unusually round face. On the other side of buff teen was a girl with gold eyes and nut colored skin, and next to him was a Hispanic kid with a permanent hyper-active expression. One boy, a gothic kid who kept sneaking glances at Thalia, was in the kitchen getting a drink, and a tall girl with a stone cold face and long dark hair leaned against the door. I was pretty curious- Annabeth called us all here, but she hadn't told any of us why.

"Annabeth? Why are we here?" Asked multi-colored eyes, echoing my thoughts.

"Because there's something I need to ask you," Said Annabeth evasively as Goth kid walked back into the room and sat down. "Ok," she said with a deep breath. "First, I need you all to promise that whatever happens, you won't tell _anyone_ a word of what's said in this meeting." She said seriously, looking around the room.

"I promise," Said multi-colored eyes immediately. Annabeth shot her a small smile.

"Thanks, Piper." She said quickly.

"Sure, I promise too." Shrugged gold eyes.

"Hazel," Annabeth grinned. Hazel shot her a small smile back.

"I'm in." I said, and Annabeth shot me a grateful look.

"Nico? Reyna?" Prompted Annabeth, and both Goth kid and dark hair gave their word.

"I'm in, of course," Said Thalia, and both Rachel and Grover also agreed.

"Leo? Frank?" Asked Annabeth. The hyperactive looking kid gave a semi-mental looking smile.

"Supreme commander of Awesomeness is in!"

"Me too, I guess." Added the buff kid.

"Ok, good." Said Annabeth with a sigh of relief.

"Just get on with it, Beth." Called out Thalia. Annabeth gulped, but complied.

"Listen, guys, this school… it's not what it seems." _That's what this is about?_ I realized as Annabeth continued. I watched the other teen's face turn from shock to disbelief to muted horror as Annabeth explained the truth behind MIST.

"Why are they hiding us? Taking us out of society? I'm not weird!" Objected Hazel in a shaky voice. I perked up at the question- Annabeth hadn't answered me when I'd asked the same question before.

"I prefer the term 'gifted'" Admitted Annabeth. "But you all have some ability that they want."

"Want?" Broke in Thalia. "What do you mean?"

"The headmaster has this… machine." Annabeth explained, her voice faltering slightly. "It extracts your power and puts it in a little pill. When you take the pill, you get the power."

"Why would they do that?" Asked Reyna in her dead serious voice.

"Because the headmaster plans to one day take all the pills and get revenge."

"Revenge?" I asked hesitantly.

"On our parents. Our society. Everyone who made us outcast, who tried to hide us like we were something to be ashamed of." She said in a soft voice.

"How do you know this?" Asked Piper in a shaky voice. Annabeth stared at the floor, not looking any of us in the eye.

"Because the headmaster wanted me to join him," She choked out. "I told him in was inhuman, to steal someone's ability like that, so he left me as a student. One day, he'll alter me too because I turned down his offer." Annabeth finished softly.

"But," She continued in a stronger voice. "I'm not waiting around for that to happen. I'm escaping, and I want to offer you all the same chance. Every two months, a jet goes back to Manhattan to pick up new arrivals. If we can get on that jet, we can get out of here." She finished.

"If people know what's really going on, do you think they'd try to help?" Asked Hazel hesitantly. "Or would they send us back? If we have gifts, like you say, then wouldn't we scare people? What if… what if they _want_ us gone?"

"We have to take that chance," Said Annabeth firmly. No one argued.

"Why don't I remember my ability?" Asked Nico suddenly, staring at his hands like he was afraid he might grow scales or something.

"Because they have you drugged." Annabeth explained. "Stop the drugs, you'll get both your normal memories back and memories of how to use your power."

"Can we think this over?" Asked Nico. "That's… a lot to process." All around me, pale faces nodded in agreement.

"Of course," agreed Annabeth. "We'll meet back here in two days, same time."

Everyone nodded their heads and left the room.

"Remember your promise!" Called Annabeth after them as everyone left. Even Thalia and Rachel left the room to get some fresh air, so Annabeth and I were alone. Annabeth walked over and sat next to me with a sigh.

"Annabeth," I asked suddenly. "What will the headmaster do if he finds out about this?"

"He'll alter me right away." She said, seeming to deflate.

"Oh." I said softly.

"I hate this school!" She cried suddenly with an unexpected anger. "I hate being here! And I _hate _the headmaster!" She finished with venom in her voice and tears in her eyes. "Nothing good ever comes out of this building."

"Well, maybe not," I said quickly, trying to calm her down. "Hey- don't cry. We'll work this out."

"I'm not crying," She muttered as she wiped the tears off her face. I wanted so badly to make her feel better. Without thinking, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. She tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed against me, crying into my shoulder.

"Maybe something good can come out of all this," I muttered into her hair gently.

"Like what?" She asked skeptically.

"Well," I said slowly. "I never would have gotten to meet you without this school." She pulled back and looked me in the eye, green to gray.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying? Because I know I'm not always an easy person to put up with."

"You want me to change my opinion?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. She laughed, and this is going to sound corny, but it was music to my ears. I guess I was happy because I'd managed to make her happy, so without thinking I leaned forward and kissed her. The biggest surprise of my life came when she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back.

**Awww… hope that satisfied all you Percabeth lovers. :) Reviewer's Question: Thalia and Nico- do we want a relationship? Or is Thalia forever single like she is in the books? Until next time! **


	9. Chapter 9

** Hello, all! I meant to get this chapter up sooner, but hit a brief writer's block. It wasn't in the actual plot (that's been planned out for a while) but in the Percabeth relationship. Anyways, I got over it. Yay! :) IMPORTANT: Thalico- I got very mixed results about thalico. So, I have a compromise of sorts- would it be ok if Thalia dated Nico briefly and then broke up? Then, because of the break up, Thalia adopts her anti-guy policy. Let me know what you guys think of that idea in the reviews please. :) Shout outs: **

**XxbethamphetaminexX- ****I think I'm going to give Percy your Pedophile view of Luke… I hope that's ok… **

**PepsiCola541- ****I reviewed your stories, just let me know if there's anything else I can do to help! :) **

**MSPJO22- ****Just to clear this up, Thalia isn't a huntress. **

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed (I think there were like 10 reviews) If you didn't get a shout out, sorry. :( I try to keep my Author's Notes a reasonable length, and 10 shout outs is a lot.

**Disclaimer: (I saw this on some one else's story and thought it was cute) I don't own Percy Jackson… Annabeth does. **

Annabeth's POV

"You're in a unnaturally good mood," observed Thalia as she grabbed her lunch money from her leather wallet. It was true- ever since Percy had kissed me the night before, I'd felt like I was walking on air.

"Just… happy, I guess." I said, handing the lunch lady a five-dollar bill. Thalia raised her eyebrows.

"I see that," she said. "Any reason why?"

"Mum hum," I hummed back, following her back to our table.

"Well, tell me!" Pushed Thalia, taking her customary seat across from me. I was saved from answering by the reason for my happiness himself- in other words, Percy.

"Hola," He grinned as he slid into the seat next to me.

"Hola, Percy. Te ves como si hubieras tenido un buen día hasta ahora," smirked Leo as he sat next to Thalia. He had come to us this morning and accepted my offer, and ever since had become a permanent addition to our group.

"Uh..." Stammered Percy. "I only actually know that one word..." I bit my lip to hide my grin. Thalia didn't even try to hide her smirk.

"Why so happy, Perce?" She asked, her eyes darting from me to him and back again.

"What makes you think I'm happy?" He challanged.

"I heard you singing to yourself infront of your locker this morning," laughed Thalia. I turned to Percy in surprise.

"You sing?"

"No," He mumbled, his face turning red.

"What song was it?" I inquired, trying not to laugh.

"I don't remember," he lied.

"Let me help you refresh your memory," teased Thalia. "Wasn't it-"

"Ah! No, Thalia!" Cried Percy, inturrupting her.

"It sounded like a love song to me," sang out Thalia, her eyes gleaming.

"A love song?" Gasped Leo in mock shock. "Percy, did you manage to get a... girlfriend?"

"Is that really so hard to believe?" Percy cried, looking hurt. Rachel walked up and sat on Thalia's other side.

"Why does Percy look like an over ripe tomato?" She asked innocently, biting into her hamburger.

"Percy managed to ask a girl out," smirked Thalia. Rachel's green eyes widened in shock as she stared at Percy.

"Really? Who?" I slid my hand into Percy's under the table as Percy pretended to ponder the question.

"What was her name again?" He teased, looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

"That sounds like the end of your first reltionship." Scoffed Leo as he attacked his taco. I looked Percy straight in the eye and coughed loudly.

"Let me refresh your memory," I said, leaning in and giving him a light, quick kiss.

"You're dating _Annabeth?_" Choked Rachel, and Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Well, it took long enough." She sighed, getting us to grab more chicken. Percy just held up our joined hands, and Rachel's face turned as red as her hair.

I walked into the bathroom, glad to escape the stiffling atmoshphere of the math classroom. I froze as I heard a muffled sound from the far stall that I recognized- someone crying. I slowly walked to the far stall and saw the stall door wasn't even shut, but half closed. Through the gap in the door, I glimsed a bit of red hair that I reognized.

"Rachel?" I asked, slowly pushing the door open. She looked up to me from where she was sitting on the floor, her eyes red and puffy, and then looked abruptly away, frowning.

"Leave me alone," she muttered, not looking me in the eye.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly as I sat down across from her.

"Nothing," she snapped. "I'm fine."

"Rachel, don't tell me you're fine," I scoffed. "Sitting alone in the bathroom crying is _not_ fine."

"Why are you here?" She muttered. "To gloat?"

"Gloat?" I asked, blinking in confusion.

"About Percy being your boyfriend," she explained, a twing of jealousy in her voice.

"You still want to date Percy?" I asked softly. The last few weeks she'd flirted less and less with him- I'd assumed she'd moved on.

"No," She said. "I just- I guess it hurts that he picked you over me. I don't want to date. I've got enough on my hands with my gift, but..."

"Your pride hurts?" I offered quietly. "I know what that's like. I've got way to much pride for my own good." I laughed shortly.

"When you came," I continued. "Honestly, I was jealous." The words sting to say, but she's been honest with me. I at least owe her the truth.

"Jealous?" Chocked Rachel incredulously. "Of me?"

"Yes," I admitted reluctantly. "Percy was so friendly towards you. I thought..." I trailed off and then took a deep breath. "I thought I was losing one of my best friends as well as my crush to a girl I barely knew." I finished. Rachel just shook her head, though.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Annabeth. I never had a chance." I stared at my hands and didn't say a word for a moment.

"Maybe we should start over," I suggested.

"What?"

"Hi," I greeted, ignoring her question as I held out my hand. "I'm Annabeth Chase. You must be the new student...?" She stared at my hand uncertinally for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," She said, shaking my hand. I smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Rachel."

_Annabeth's Journal _

_Things finally seem to be looking up. Percy and I are dating, Rachel and I are on the road to friendship, and everyone I told about the escape plan has agreed to come. We're getting out of here! The jet arrives in three days- I wonder how it'll feel to be free after all these years. I just wish there was some way we could save Luke- but that won't happen. He's made it clear who's side he's on. _

_**Kind of a filler chapter, but look forward to MAJOR developments in the next chapter. My reviwer's question is simply what I asked in the beginning of the question- will my alternate Thalico plan work for you guys? Review, review, review! Until next time! **_


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, everybody :) I actually wasn't going to post again today, but today was the last day of school, and with no billion question homework or impossibly long reports to work on, I actually had some free time. Ah, the wonders of Summer Vacation. Anyway, free time = writing time, so I'm back with a update. Also, you all seemed to really like my Thalico idea, so that's what I'll be doing. Shout outs: **

**allen r-**** I'm glad you liked it :) **

**WindRainFire- ****Yah, this isn't really a Thaluke story… **

**Myusernameisorigional-**** If you mean will Rachel and Leo date, then no, probably not. Sorry :( If you mean will this story go into their back stories and such, it would be hard to do this far into the story, but I can try. If I write a sequel, I can try to incorporate it there. I do agree that they seem to be "outcasts" of sorts… Also, thanks for the awesome review! It just absolutely made my day :) **

**PepsiCola541- ****No problem :) And, sadly, you are right. Things only go downhill from here… :( **

**XxbethamphetaminexX- ****:) **

**Also- this story isn't over yet, but it will be in another 4 or 5 chapters. There are two ways I can end this story- one sets up for a sequel, and one doesn't. So, do you guys want a sequel? I need to know so I know which ending to set up for. **

**Disclaimer: This was a long authors note, and RR didn't write it… :( **

Luke's POV

I lounged in my swivel chair, studying the report on my desk.

_Cameras 5a and 6a down. _

Camera errors were something I took seriously, and this one was particularly disturbing. My boss was coming today, and I couldn't afford anything to go wrong. _Headmasters shouldn't need bosses, _I scowled as I opened my laptop to see what area of the school cameras 5a and 6a were. When I did, I felt my blood go cold. The cameras were located in the third hallway, second floor- the hallway Annabeth's dorm was in. _Why didn't she take my warning?_ I thought angrily as I typed in the code to reset the camera. _Does she want to be altered?! _I didn't want to alter her- I knew I should. I should have long ago, but I just…couldn't. That didn't mean I couldn't get to her, though. She had enough friends that I could alter. I could still get my message across.

"Castellan," said a voice from my oak doorway. I looked up, annoyed, and froze when I say the stiff form in the doorway. My boss.

"Sir," I said immediately, standing up and making a stiff, short bow.

"Sit," he commanded, and I obliged. "The time's coming fast, Luke. I hope you're ready."

"Of course," I replied, my voice tight. He nodded, then his eyes narrowed as he saw the red slip of paper on my desk. The camera report.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"Give it to me," he demanded. It wasn't a request- it was an order. Mentally groaning, I slid the paper across to him.

"Cameras down?" He asked, his voice dangerously soft, obviously realizing what the report meant. We had the best cameras money could buy- they wouldn't just crash. Not without interference.

"We're looking into it, sir," I said tightly.

"Cameras down?" He asked again, his voice rising in anger. "CAMERAS DOWN?" I flinched away from his furious outburst, the steadied my resolve and faced him. He leaned forward so that I had to look him in the eye.

"You will NOT let some student get in the way," he hissed. "I want them dead. Gone. Terminated. Do you understand me, Luke?"

"Dead? But-"

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?"

"Yes, sir." I said tensely, my thoughts flickering to the blonde girl responsible for the camera crash.

"You better," He said, a murderous glint in his eye. "Because I promise you, mercy will not be tolerated. And if I find out that you showed _any _mercy to this student," he spat furiously, "I will kill you myself. I gave you this position- but I _will _replace you with someone more qualified. Is that what you want?"

"No sir," I managed.

"Good." He said, standing up and walking to the door. "And Luke? Don't disappoint me." He warned as he opened the door.

"Yes sir, Kronos." I whispered, watching my famed boss exit the room.

Percy's POV

I was headed to Annabeth's dorm for one of our meetings with our Escape Group. Today we were working on discovering our talent- Rachel had shared hers, and the rest of us were eager to discover our "superpowers," as Leo called them. I was really looking forward to it- plus, I enjoyed spending time with Annabeth. Was I nervous about being her boyfriend? Yeah, but it wasn't because she made me uncomfortable or anything. I was nervous about our relationship because I was scared I might mess up and lose her, and trust me, I would do _anything _to avoid that.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by a familiar sound- an adult's footsteps. It was after curfew, so getting caught was not an option. Spotting the janitor's closet a few feet to my right, I dashed into it and closed the door, praying that it wasn't the janitor himself who was walking this way. Peeking out the window in the door, I watched the unfamiliar man walk down the hall.

"Who the…?" I muttered, trailing off as I studied the man. He seemed to be made of stone, with chiseled features and a cold, unreal atmosphere to him. Suddenly he stopped, and my heart seemed to stop as he turned to look straight at the janitor's closet I was hiding in. I quickly ducked down, praying that he hadn't seen me. I heard footsteps getting nearer to the door and held my breath. _Don't open the door, don't open the door, don't open the door, _I willed in my mind. He stopped just outside the door, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to be discovered.

The man seemed to decide that wherever he was going was more important, though, because he turned and continued to walk off down the hallway.

_Thank the gods,_ I thought as I breathed a sigh of relief. I waited until he rounded the corner- and then left my hiding spot and followed him. Dumb? Probably, but a new face wasn't something to be ignored. Annabeth had lectured me enough about how this school worked- it was like a well-oiled machine, and this 'new part' was setting of little warning bells in my head. I stopped outside the oak doors the stranger had entered moments before and crouched next to it, struggling to hear the conversation through the thick door.

"…time's coming fast…hope you're ready…" The words drifted through the door in a cool tone that I reasoned had to belong to the stranger. My heart skipped a beat, though, when I heard the next words.

"Cameras down? CAMERAS DOWN?" I froze- Annabeth had disabled the cameras in her hallway so we could meet tonight without being caught. Somehow, they had found out. I had to warn her.

I got up and turned around and… ran right into Mrs. Brooke, making papers fly.

"What the…" She muttered, grabbing my arm. "What are you doing here?" I tried to twist away, but the woman had an iron grip. "You're coming with me," she snapped, her annoying secretary look abandoned for a firmer, much crueler look. It made me want her to act annoying again.

Before I could make up some excuse about looking for a bathroom, she was pushing me toward the oak doors. The stranger opened the door to leave, but if he was surprised to see a teen boy being dragged down the hall by a kindly secretary, he didn't show it. He just held the door open so I could be ushered to my impending doom faster. Then, giving a quick, short nod to Mrs. Brooke, he left as I was pushed into a large office.

"He was lurking outside your office, sir." Explained Mrs. Brooke, and then she too left, leaving me alone with the headmaster. One look at him and I could tell he was _not_ happy.

"Anything you'd like to say, Jackson?" He asked coolly, examining me with distaste.

"I broke the cameras," I blurted out. Luke raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You?" He sneered. "Like you have the brains to do that." I felt my face flush with anger at his insult, but kept my mouth shut. "We both know who it was, Jackson."

"If you hurt her…I'll-I'll" I said furiously, not even able to form a coherent thought through my anger.

"You'll what?" Luke smirked. "Why do you care, anyways?" His voice made it clear he didn't expect an answer, but my expression must have spoken wonders. He straightened up and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Why do you care?" He repeated thoughtfully, and then his expression changed. He was staring at my chest- no, not my chest. My necklace. It was a simple leather strip with a golden ring on it. The ring was Annabeth's- it had been her father's college ring, but when the necklace she kept it on snapped, she'd given it to me for safe keeping.

"Annabeth's ring." He said, thinking aloud. "Why would she give it to you? Unless…" He trailed off and his eyes hardened. "You're dating her, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" I challenged. His eyes grew cold.

"Then she deserves what's coming to her," he spat.

"What?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Asked Luke in a falsely reassuring voice. "Your girlfriend has stepped out of line. I plan to put her in her place." He hissed.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," I spat, a surge of protectiveness running through me.

"Why not?" He asked, giving a humorless laugh. "She has you now! She doesn't need me!"

"I never said anything about her needing you," I said. "But it doesn't matter. You were never there for her. You abandoned her; you took her friends from her and trapped her here. You don't have the right to even _think_ about her, so don't tell me you ever cared for her," I spat.

Faster than I thought possible Luke jumped the desk and gave me a solid punch to the jaw. I reeled back, my jaw throbbing in pain, and raised my fist to return a punch of my own.

"Go ahead," He threatened darkly. "I'll kill her so fast it'll make your head spin." I was furious, but I let my hand drop to my side. I couldn't give him any more reason to hurt Annabeth.

"Get out of here," he growled. "And tell Annabeth I'm sick of her games." He gave another short laugh. "Lets see you try to protect her when she's hooked up to my machine."

**So, just when things are looking up, reality catches up to the group. Luke is sick of their games, and Annabeth's in trouble- uh oh. Reviewer's Question: Do we want the sequel? (I know it seems a bit early for this question, but I need to know which ending to use.) Until next time! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! You all seemed to want a sequel, so it looks like there's going to be a sequel. I think there's still four or five chapters of this story to go, then keep your eyes peeled for the next one- I'm not sure what it'll be called yet, but I'll let you know when I figure it out. Also, instead of working Thalico into this story since it's wrapping up so fast, I'm going to put it in the sequel. So, with all that out of the way, moving on. Shout outs: **

**allen r- ****In the sequel, Percy and Annabeth will be together. I didn't write that set up to their relationship just to throw it out the window, so you'll see more of them and them on dates and stuff in the sequel. The sequel won't be all fluff, though- action and plot are a pretty big part… **

**Myusernameisorigional- ****The last chapter was about average length- maybe you just got into it so it seemed shorter? I don't know…hopefully :/ **

**AnonFan-**** Yeah, this was kinda a short story. I meant it to be longer, but it just kinda worked out that way- it's not done quite yet, though! **

**BoboTheBookworm- ****Percy may not have attacked Luke in the last chapter, but he does fight Luke eventually. I'm looking forward to writing that scene so much. ;) **

**PepsiCola541-**** Ok, I'll try to answer everything in your review- 1) I'm glad you like it. :) I enjoy writing action scenes, so I'm glad someone enjoys reading them! 2) They are not demigods, that "thank the gods bit" was just something I flung in there for fun, and Kronos is not a titan. Sorry for the confusion. :( And no, I've never clarified that before, so your blondeness is not to blame- mine is. ;) **

**Disclaim: Whew. Long authors note. Too bad RR didn't write it… (I know I've used this one before, but I'm running out of disclaimers.) **

Annabeth POV

I scanned the gym, looking at the faces crowded around me. We had meet up in my room and crawled through the air ducts to the gym to figure out our abilities, leaving a note for Percy (who never showed up) to tell him where we had gone. I was worried about him, but pushed it aside so I didn't appear panicked to the others.

"How will the gym help us figure out our powers?" Asked Reyna, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Your body will naturally defend itself in a fight, so we'll be mock fighting one another to see what you do." I explained.

"Won't people hear us fighting in the gym?" Asked Nico dubiously.

"Nope," I answered, popping the p. "The gym is soundproof so that the classes on either side of the gym can't be distracted during P.E. hour. We could make as much noise as we want and no one would hear us- that's why it's the perfect place to do this."

"Split up into pairs," I continued. "Spread out over the gym and start fighting! No serious injuries, though, ok?" Once everyone had agreed, on various levels of reluctance, they followed my orders and split up across the gym. They were so busy fighting, they didn't notice the door creak open and Percy slip in.

"Percy?" I asked, running up to him quickly. "Where were you- oh my gods, what happened?" I gasped, staring at an ugly bruise the size of a baseball forming on my boyfriend's jaw.

"Luke happened," Percy retorted bitterly. "I saw some guy walking to Luke's office and followed him. The guy yelled at Luke a bit and then Mrs. Brooke caught me and handed my over to our gracious headmaster." He looked like he was about to continue, but I held up one hand to stop him.

"Wait, a guy was yelling at Luke? Who?" I asked, confused. Not many people yelled at Luke and escaped unscathed.

"I dunno," shrugged Percy. "Tall, rigged, short cut hair and… this is going to sound crazy, but his eyes were… golden." I froze.

"Golden eyes? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Why?" My mind felt like it was going into overload, the pieces of a puzzle falling together all too fast.

"It must have been Kronos." I muttered to myself. "And if Luke's working for Kronos, then- it all makes sense now! I know why Luke switched sides!" Percy still looked confused.

"Wait, what makes sense? And who is Kronos?" He asked, baffled.

"Kronos is a wanted criminal from LA." I explained. "He supposedly murdered his dad in his sleep by chopping him up and then ate his own kids."

"Not nice," Percy agreed. "But why would Kronos kill his dad?"

"No one's sure," I admitted. "There are several theories, but the most likely one is that his dad had a power himself. Maybe Kronos hates gifted people, or maybe he wanted power and felt outdone by his father, but whatever the case, he did it."

"So Kronos hates people like us? But his family was like us?" Asked Percy, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"It's just a theory," I said. "None of them completely add up, but unless you want to ask the guy for his life story, it'll probably stay a mystery."

"Or you could ask Luke," snorted Percy sarcastically. "They seemed very buddy-buddy. You know, when Kronos wasn't yelling at him."

"Percy, don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"There's still hope for Luke! All this time I thought he had just betrayed me, but Kronos must have blackmailed him! We can still save him- he could escape with us!" I explained in excitement. An excitement that Percy, apparently, didn't share.

"Whoa, what? No. Sorry Annabeth, but I just talked to the guy, and there is not an ounce of good in his body. He's not the guy you knew." I scowled at his words.

"Kronos is just blackmailing him. Percy, we could save him!"

"No, we couldn't," Percy argued back. "He's evil. _Evil. _And dangerous. He's not someone worth saving."

"Not someone worth saving?" I hissed back. "Yes, he is! Why are you so set on seeing only the bad in him?"

"Why are you so insistent on seeing good in him that isn't there?" He retorted. "Annabeth, I just talked to him! He doesn't care for anyone, and he'd kill you without a second thought! When that jet comes tomorrow morning, we all need to be on it. _Without _Luke."

"You didn't know him before he changed like I did," I snapped back. "He talks big, but he only does it because Kronos is breathing down his neck! If I can just get him alone-"

"He'll kill you," Percy interrupted flatly. "He told me to my face he wanted you dead! What makes you think there's any good in him?"

"Because he promised he would protect me back when we got here." I cried in frustration. "He said he would be there for me!"

"Annabeth, he lied. I'm sorry he wasn't the guy you thought he was, but-"

"Not the guy I thought he was?" I interrupted. "I knew him better than anyone! If he hadn't switched sides, he might have been my boyfriend right now. Not you." Percy flinched at my words as if I'd slapped him.

"He liked you like that?" He asked, shocked. "He's like, twenty years old! That doesn't seem creepy in a Pedophile kind of way to you?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" I snapped angrily. "If you're so set against saving him, then fine! I don't need your help! I can do this myself." I hissed.

"What are you suggesting?" Asked Percy.

"You'll lead the escape party out tomorrow. I'm staying behind."

"Annabeth, no! That's suicide!" I turned away from Percy, ignoring his pleading. Behind me I heard him give a cry of frustration and storm out of the gym as I watched my friends fight.

In one corner, I saw Nico kick out to Reyna, his opponent, and black skeleton burst from the ground and mirrored his movement. In another area, Thalia shot lightning from her fingertips that Grover deflected with- was that tree bark? All around the room my friends were not only discovering their abilities, but also learning to control them with various levels of success. Even though my argument with Percy had left me in a bad mood, I couldn't help but feel proud. They were going to escape, and I would make Luke see sense. I had too.

**Please don't kill me! I'm sorry for the Percabeth argument, but when you read the next chapter you'll see why it was necessary, I promise! Reviewers question: Favorite disclaimer? I need one to use in the next chapter. (I'll give you credit for it) Until next time! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! I have important news- I was thinking about this story last night and the sequel and everything, and just had this great plot idea hit me over the head. Do you ever get these ideas and you're like **_**oh my gods, I have to do that! **_**Well, this was one of those times. So, instead of this being the first part of a two story series, it'll be the first part of a trilogy. I cannot wait to write the third part- I can't tell you what happens (obviously) but I can promise it's going to be epic. If you don't want to read 3 stories like that…well, sorry I guess. If you're as excited about reading this trilogy as I am to write it, perfect! Like I said, it's gonna be epic. Also, the 2****nd**** story is going to be called **_**City of Secrets**_**. Now that that's out of the way, shout outs: **

**WindRainFire- ****Yup, it just seemed like something he'd manage to bring up at the worst time possible. ;) **

**PepsiCola541- ****Experience on guys? Not really, I'm one of those forever alone nerdy girls you'd see in the back of your math class. I used to have some guy friends, if that counts, but I haven't seen them since I moved, and that was a while ago. I'll help in any way I can, if it helps, but no promises! ;)**

**allen r- ****I don't like writing Percabeth arguments, but it wasn't for no reason, promise! **

**8EternallyMortal8- ****I'm glad you like it so much! Thanks for the amazing review, by the way. :) **

**Disclaimer: (Special thanks to ****XxbethamphetaminexX**** for this disclaimer!) **

** Once upon a time, there was a man named Riordan, Rick. The incredible book he wrote was a best selling hit. But alas, his ownership was so freaking strict. So to him, I wish to throw a brick. But as shocking as Clarisse's Lamer-er- Maimer, I still have to write a stupid disclaimer. To those of you who think you have a better chance of owning them than I, are you out of your mind? So lets get this over with as here's the bottom line: Percy dyes his food blue, Annabeth's eyes are gray. Rick Riordan owns them, and because he's Rick Riordan, he gets his way. **

Percy's POV

I stared at the expectant faces around me, feeling uneasy. We were in the dorm I shared with Grover, and tonight was the night of the escape. It was now or never, do or die, and I didn't feel prepared to lead this escape at all. Annabeth had stood by her decision to stay behind, though, and hadn't even showed up to wish us luck. At first I'd thought she was just being cold, but now I couldn't help but wonder if she was scared if she showed up, her resolve would crumble and she'd leave with us. I hated leaving her, but I also knew she would never forgive me if I didn't lead our friends out of here safely.

I glanced up at the clock, feeling my heart jump to my throat as I saw the time- plane came at 3:45, and if we wanted to be on it, we needed to start the escape plan now.

"Alright, listen up!" I said, feeling surprised when everyone quieted down and turned to face me, not questioning my ability to lead them. "Here's the plan. We can crawl through the air ducts to the courtyard easily enough, but the gates are always locked. The landing strip is just outside the gates, so we need to steal the key first."

"Where's the key?" Asked the ever-practical Hazel.

"Luke keeps it in his office," I admitted. "But," I continued quickly before panic could erupt, "I'm going to take one or two people with me to get it. Any volunteers?" There was a brief silence, and then Grover stood up, looking pale.

"You know I'm with you," he said simply, and I gave him a nod of thanks.

"Me too," said Rachel, also standing up. "I know where he keeps the key and what it looks like- I saw it in a dream. I'm coming."

"Thanks, Red," I said sincerely. She was probably the only one of us whose ability wouldn't help her at all in a fight (besides maybe me, because my ability still remained unknown to us), so she was taking a pretty big risk coming with us.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go," bleated Grover, looking nervous. I nodded, three would be enough.

"Let's go," I echoed, leading my friends out of the room. "We'll be back soon," I promised the others that were staying behind. Thalia spoke up for them all.

"We know," she said simply. I nodded and closed the door softly behind me, ready to steal a key.

-Line Break-

We crouched Luke's office, my ear pressed to the dark wood, listening for any sounds beyond the door. It was 3 in the morning, so Luke should have been in bed asleep and not in his office, but you could never be too sure with a guy like Luke.

I didn't hear anything, though, so I cracked the door open and slipped inside, closely followed by Grover and Rachel. The office was empty, but Luke's large swivel chair was spinning like he'd just left. He could be back any moment. I motioned urgently to Rachel, and she immediately hurried over to the desk, pulling at the top drawer.

"It's locked!" She hissed. I turned to Grover.

"Keep watch for Luke, I'm gonna try to pick the lock," I whispered to him. He nodded, looking sick, and hurried over to the door, peering out through the crack in the door. I grabbed a stray paper clip of the floor and unfolded it, hurrying over to Rachel.

"Top drawer to the right," she instructed quietly, and I nodded. I slipped the paperclip into the keyhole, wiggling it around.

"Luke's coming!" Hissed Grover, his eyes wide with panic.

"How far?" Asked Rachel.

"He'll be here in thirty seconds, tops," Grover answered, looking terrified.

"Hide!" I ordered, still working on the lock. Grover dashed over to the curtains and slid behind them, and Rachel slipped behind the other curtain.

"Percy! Hurry!" Whispered Rachel desperately from behind the curtain.

"Almost… got it…" I muttered back. Luke's footsteps could be heard, getting louder and louder as he neared the door.

"Percy!" Warned Grover, his voice quivering with worry.

"Got it!" I whispered back in triumph as the lock clicked open. I quickly grabbed the key and slid the drawer shut, looking around for a hiding spot. Bookshelves? No. Curtains? Taken. I quickly crawled under the desk just as Luke opened the door and walked in. He walked over to his desk and sat down, opened his laptop and started typing away. His leather boots were literally inches from my face and I tried to keep my breath shallow and quiet, fearing he would hear me.

Two minutes passed, but to me cramped up under the desk, it felt more like hours. Luke may not have found us, but he showed no sign of moving, and we needed to get the key back to the others. I couldn't help but wish Annabeth were here- she'd know what to do. Annabeth- what would Annabeth do? _C'mon Percy, _I urged myself silently. _Think like Annabeth. What would she do? She'd tell me to avoid detection at all cost, so fighting our way out isn't an option. What would she do, though? _I wondered, frustrated. _She'd distract him, _I realized suddenly. _If he didn't have a reason to leave the room, she'd give him one. _I looked around under the desk. Surely Luke had dropped something at some point that I could use.

There wasn't much under the desk. A marble, two more paperclips, and a rolled up piece of scotch tape, but that was it. _Doesn't have to be complicated, Percy, _I reminded myself. I grabbed the marble and studied the bottom of the door carefully, judging the distance. If I could put enough force behind it, I was sure it would roll all the way to the door, under the crack, and out into the hallway. It was worth a shot, anyway. I rolled the marble between my fingers and carefully drew my hand back, flicking it forward and across the floor. Just like I predicted, it rolled under the door and clinked against the hallway wall. Ordinarily, Luke would never have heard a noise that small from his office. But it was three in the morning, and the whole building was deathly quiet. Even a noise that small carried clearly through the quiet air, and Luke tensed up at the sound.

Standing up, he walked quickly to the door, and exited the office. His footsteps faded as he walked down the hallway, searching for the source of the noise. My friends and I quickly emerged from our hiding places, me shaking out my cramped limbs, my friends rubbing their noses from the dust. 

"Lets get out of here," I said, and neither of my friends argued, all too eager to escape Luke's office.

-Line Break-

I watched Leo unscrew the air duct vent in the hallway near my dorm and crawled in, waiting till all my friends had followed me in. The key was in my pocket and now we just had to get to the landing strip. If we could do that, we'd be free at last. I crawled through the silver ducts, freezing as we passed over Luke's office. Through the thin metal I could hear Mrs. Brooke talking to Luke.

"…wants to talk to you," came Mrs. Brooke's voice.

"I'm up anyway," Luke's cold voice wafted up to us. "Might as well get this over with." I shook my head to clear it. Whether they were talking about Annabeth or not, she had made it pretty clear she didn't want me interfering, so I continued on. Still, I was glad when I couldn't hear Luke's voice anymore.

We traveled through the ducts quickly, all too aware of our limited time. Soon we reached the end and burst into the hallway, and not a minute to soon. The jet would be here any minute. We rushed to the gate and I tossed Reyna the key, who unlocked the gate. Everyone piled through, rushing to the landing strip except me. I stayed frozen in place. Grover looked back and saw me.

"Percy? C'mon man, we gotta go!" He urged, but I didn't move. Leaving without Annabeth suddenly seemed more real, and I felt empty. Awful. By leaving her, I was dooming her. I couldn't do this. Grover seemed to read my mind.

"She'll be fine. She wants it this way, remember?" I nodded slowly and snapped out of it, ready to get away from the MIST Academy.

I was at the gate when I froze again, chilled to the bone at the lonely pained sound that wafted to me from the open air duct behind me.

A girl's scream.

Annabeth.

**Cliffy, I know :) There's only two chapters left to go- you know what that means, right? Yes, the big show down is in the next chapter, and the chapter after that leads into the sequel and wraps this story up! :) Reviewer's Question: Toughest demigod? (Besides Percy, because lets be honest, we all know he kicks butt) Mine would be either Clarisse or Annabeth, both seem pretty fierce. Until next time! **


	13. Chapter 13

** Time for the finale! ****There will be one more chapter after this one, so keep your eyes peeled for it. ****I love writing action scenes, so I've been looking forward to writing this one for a while now! :) Shout outs: **

**8EternallyMortal8- ****Like I've said numerous times- suspense and action (to me) are most fun to write, so I'm glad someone enjoys reading them so much! ;) **

**Random demigod- ****I've already planned out the sequels, and both have pretty strong plots. No worries there! **

**4everlucky18- ****Shocked in a good way, I hope… :/ **

**Myusernameisoriginal- ****Cliff hangers- fun to write, awful to read. But cliffys keep you guys eager for the next chapter, so that's good (For me at least) ;) **

**PepsiCola541- ****Haha glad you like it so much ;) As to the guy thing, my parents have this whole "no dating" rule in our house, so yeah… no boyfriends. Besides I go to a really, **_**really **_**small school and there's not many cute guys. The few cute guys have girlfriends… :( I hang out with mostly girls anyways, especially the other girls on my volleyball teams (Did I ever mention I'm a huge volleyball player? :P ) **

**Disclaimer: (Special thanks to ****jumpingandfalling**** for this disclaimer) I don't own Percy Jackson… Annabeth Chase does! **

Percy's POV

I had two choices- leave Annabeth and escape with the others, or go back and lose what could be my only chance to escape. My mind was made up from the start.

"Grover! Get the others out of here!" I called over my shoulder as I ran back to the building.

"But-"

"Just do it!" I screamed as I reached the building. I didn't have time to argue with Grover right now. The air vent would take too long, so I made a fist and plunged it through the glass of the nearest window. Alarms screamed as I jumped through the window and, ignoring the cuts on my hand, sprinted off down the hallway.

I saw a flash of golden hair as I rounded the corner, and ran faster, fear turning my blood cold. That wasn't the way to Luke's office; it was the way to the Alternating Room.

No.

I burst through the door in time to see Luke throw Annabeth harshly to the floor at the foot of the silver machine. Her bottom lip was swollen and bloody and her eye was turning purple, and the sight of it made my vision go red with anger.

I spun Luke around and punched him as hard as I could in the nose, not before seeing with satisfaction the cut on his forehead and his split lip. Annabeth had fought back.

Luke reeled back and crashed into the cabinets, stunned, but his shock didn't last long. He jumped back toward me, and I jumped out of the way. He spun around on a dime, and this time I wasn't fast enough. He lashed out and caught me in the chest, throwing me into the machine. He walked toward me slowly, believing he had won, but I was far from defeated.

"You'll have to do better than that," I coughed as I stood back up, my fist up and ready to defend myself. Luke sneered at me and tried to punch me in the jaw, but I ducked and swung my leg out, knocking his legs out from under him. He fell to the floor and I grabbed a nearby pen and pressed it to his throat.

"What are you gonna do? Stab me to death with a pen?" He smirked, but his eyes were bright with fear. Weird…

I made the mistake of hesitating in my confusion, and Luke surged up, throwing me away from him. I hit the base of the machine and my head spun, the breath knocked out of me. Luke grabbed the pen and stalked over to me, the pen held high and an unnerving gleam of triumph in his eyes.

"What are you gonna do? Stab me to death with a pen?" I gasped, quoting him, but he shook it off.

"You have no idea what this pen is capable of," he gloated. I stared at him- he really was insane. It was just a pen. "Too bad you'll never find out-" He was interrupted by Annabeth, who had recovered enough to tackle him from behind. Luke stumbled back, trying to balance her sudden weight, while Annabeth clawed at his face and hair, anything she could reach.

I managed to get to my feet and grabbed the pen- for whatever reason, Luke thought it was valuable, and that was good enough reason for me to keep it away from him. I shoved it in my pocket just as Luke slammed Annabeth into the machine, her head hitting the back of the chair with a sickening thud. She slumped over in the chair, knocked unconscious while I lunged at Luke. I couldn't let him get the remote, or Annabeth was a goner. I knocked him back against the wall, my arm pressed against his throat, and held him there.

Luke kicked and struggled, but I didn't loosen my grip. His face started to turn purple, so I let go, letting him drop to the floor. I didn't give him time to recover, though. Planting my foot firmly on his chest, I held him down while he gasped for breath.

"I win," I said. I wasn't gloating, but urging him to accept it. I didn't want to kill Luke, and the fight had seemed to leech my anger away. Over in the silver altering chair Annabeth stirred and I looked over at her, concerned. I wanted to go help her off that hateful chair, but I didn't dare turn my back on Luke.

"You ok?" I asked in a ragged voice that didn't sound like my own. She began to nod, but then she froze, her eyes widening with fear.

"Think you've won? Think again!" Wheezed Luke from the floor as Annabeth pointed a shaking finger behind me. I spun around to see Kronos behind me, the harsh light reflecting off his stone-like face. With lightning fast reflexes he kicked out at me, his foot connecting solidly with my chest and sending me sprawling across the floor. My vision went fuzzy, and I could only just barely make out Kronos stalk over to me. He grabbed my shirt collar, lifting me off the floor. Somewhere off to my left I could vaguely hear Annabeth screaming my name, but it felt distant, as if I was underwater.

"You look much like someone I know, boy…" muttered Kronos. Then his eyes narrowed in hatred. "Who is your father?" I stayed silent, my hands raking against my throat desperately. I couldn't breath, I couldn't breath, and that ringing in my head- had that always been there? Kronos slammed me against the wall when I didn't answer, still holding me up by my shirt.

"I said," he growled, "_who is your father?_"

"Don't…don't know," I gasped. "Lost…lost at sea…" Kronos threw me back to the floor and I cried out in pain when he kicked me in the ribs.

"You're lying to me!" He roared in anger. I was in too much pain to reply, and even my fuzzy vision seemed to be fading. I lay on the cold floor, my eyes shut, and tried to even out my breathing. _Breath in, breathe out. In, out. In, out. _Besides me, Kronos crouched down next to me.

"I am a Titan, boy. And I would recognize a child of your bloodline anywhere," he hissed, as if the name Titan meant anything to me. _In, out, in, out, in, out…_ Kronos stood up and walked back to where Luke was restraining Annabeth. Annabeth had defiantly done a number on Luke- besides his cut forehead and split lip, his eye was now swollen and there were scratches crisscrossing his arms- but he still managed to hold her down. I blinked again- my eyesight was clearing up. _In, out, in, out, in, out… _

Kronos harshly strapped her to the machine while my still-muddled brain struggled to understand the reason to his actions. When I did, I stumbled to my feet, making my head spin.

"No," I muttered. "No!" I cried again, this time louder, lunging to Kronos. He spun around and time slowed down. I don't mean it felt like it was slowing down- I mean it literally slowed down. It was like trying to move through molasses while Kronos still moved regularly. He walked over to me and stopped next to me, his mouth near my ear.

"Yes," he murmured. "I'm like you. Gifted with the ability to slow down time."

"Then why," I managed through clenched teeth. "Are you doing this?" He gave a short, humorless laugh, before kicking me back to the wall as time returned back to normal. I sank to my knees, leaning heavily on the wall.

"Ask your father who was 'lost at sea'", he sneered as he turned back to Annabeth. "Luke, give me the remote," he said coolly. Luke turned and grabbed the remote, but hesitated.

"I didn't know you were gifted," he said uncertainly.

"Luke. The remote," Kronos ordered.

"I thought you wanted revenge for being cast out by your gifted family, the same way I wanted revenge," Luke continued. "But you lied. You _are _gifted. So what _is _your motive?"

"Remote. _Now!_" Ordered Kronos, his eyes on fire with anger.

"You were using me, weren't you?" Luke said quietly. "You never planned to help me get revenge on my parents." His face was pale with fear, but at the same time he was practically shaking with anger. "You USED me!" He cried again, outraged.

"I don't have time for this," Kronos growled as he walked over to Luke, grabbing the remote from his hand and shoving him out of the way. I gathered the last of my strength and stood back up- my head was pounding and the room seemed to spin, but I couldn't let him alter Annabeth. What could I do, though?

Kronos grimly pushed down on the power button and the machine roared to life. Annabeth screamed, arching her back in pain.

"NO!" I screamed. I had failed, I had lost, I had let her down, I was too late. "NOOO!" I screamed again, pouring my pain into the scream. My gut seemed to knot up and the sinks on both sides of the room exploded, plowing into Kronos with gallons of forcefully pumped water. He was propelled into the far wall with a painful sounding smack, and the remote skittered to Luke's feet. Kronos didn't move again.

"Luke! The remote!" I screamed. Luke looked at me and grabbed the remote. He glanced at Kronos and his eyes hardened.

"No one uses me," he growled as he pressed the off button forcefully. Annabeth collapsed into the chair as the machine shut down, panting heavily. I leaned against the wall as the water trickled off and the feeling in my gut faded. I started toward Annabeth, but the room spun and I sank to my knees. I stumbled back up and to her side, leaning heavily on the side of the machine.

"You really are a seaweed brain," she said weakly. "Water powers, huh?"

"Apparently," I gasped. Luke walked over.

"You ok?" He asked, not meeting Annabeth or my gaze.

"Fine," she managed. Luke nodded and slowly turned around, limping toward the exit.

"Luke?" She called weakly. He stopped, but didn't turn around. "You don't have to leave."

"Yes, I do." He said shortly. Then, just like that, he was gone. I turned back to Annabeth.

"Let's get out of here," I said, and she nodded, tearing her gaze away from the doorway Luke had disappeared through.

"Let's go home."

**Whew! Long fight scene :) I think that might have been the best chapter yet, though! One more chapter to go, and then we'll move on to **_**City of Secrets. **_**And before anyone asks, I know Kronos said he was a Titan, but he's not a Titan in the sense of Greek Myths like he is in the books. That probably doesn't make much sense now, but it will later on, I promise.**__**Reviewer's Question: Would you have let Luke leave? I'm just curious. He had too in this story because he returns in the later stories eventually, but if you were Percy and Annabeth, would you let him go? Until next time! **


	14. Chapter 14

** I'm back with the last chapter. :'( This story is coming to an end, but the first chapter of **_**City of Secrets **_**will be up soon, so keep your eyes open for that. Percy and Annabeth's adventure is far from over! I'll put the summary for **_**City of Secrets **_**at the bottom of this chapter, so check it out. :) Shout outs: **

**allen r- ****There will be more Percabeth in the sequel, but as I've said numerous times, plot is always important. :) **

**8EternallyMortal8- ****The update is here! I'm glad you liked the action scene- it was so much fun to write! ;) **

**Myusernameisorigional- ****I'm exited to write the sequel, so you won't have to wait long :) Also, as to your questions, you just have to read and find out! ;) **

**Wisdoms daughter- ****"Freaking out" was the reaction I was going for ;) The Titan thing is a big part of the sequel, so I obviously can't explain. You'll just have to read and find out! **

**PepsiCola541- ****Haha, well thanks for coming back and reviewing anyway! Reviewers who review every chapter just absolutely make my day- I can always count on getting some feedback. And your reviews don't come in 'till, like, three in the morning. So either you just enjoy reading way early in the morning, or we're in different countries. When I started volleyball, it mostly consisted of me injuring myself, so I think it's normal. ;) It's certainly not an easy sport to play! **

**Disclaimer: (Yes, I'm reusing this one. Don't judge.) I don't own Percy Jackson… Annabeth Chase does! **

Annabeth's POV

Percy and I limped down the hallway, leaning on each other heavily for support. The news of Kronos's death and Luke's absence traveled fast, and the recently awoken teachers and students simply stared at us in shock as we limped past them. I doubted many of them had even known the true nature of the school, but I wasn't sticking around to find out. With Kronos gone, they could be free. Go home back to their families.

At the thought of family my stomach knotted like I'd been punched- I'd been so focused on escaping, I'd forgotten my family might not even want me. They'd sent me to this school for a reason, after all.

I pushed the thought aside- we had defeated Kronos, we were alive. I'd worry about my family later. Percy pushed open the doors and we walked outside, bathed in the cool air. Since it was only 3:50 in the morning, the world was still silent and dark, broken only by the brilliant stars.

"Percy!" Cried a familiar voice- Grover. He was standing near a large jet and waving madly, his face alight with excitement. Thalia stood next to him, grinning.

"Told you they'd make it," she gloated to Grover triumphantly.

"G-man! Why haven't you guys left yet? The jet was supposed to leave five minutes ago," greeted Percy as we limped over to them, a wide smile on my face even though my swollen lip made it hard.

"We decided to wait for you two," stated Thalia as if it was obvious. "Gods, Annabeth, what did you do? Get hit by a truck?"

"Nice to see you, too," I replied dryly. "We need to get out of here," I continued.

"Why? Luke is gone and Kronos is dead," Percy said, looking confused.

"Luke's gone?" Asked Grover.

"Who's Kronos?" Asked Thalia at the same time.

"It's a long story," I said, exhausted. "I know we could stay, but I want to get out of here." I looked over at Percy next to me, silently begging him to understand. There were too many bad memories, and I'd been here far too long. I _needed _to get out and see the outside world again. Percy looked at me for a moment and seemed to understand.

"Let's get out of here," he agreed, and I felt a surge of gratitude. We loaded into the jet, which was much roomier than I'd expected.

"I can't believe you got the pilots to wait for us, and got them to agree to take us back to Manhattan," Percy commented idly as we took a seat on one of the plush leather couches.

"We didn't," replied Thalia cheerfully. "We knocked them out and left them in the bushes."

"What?!" I cried in shock. "Who's supposed to fly us home, then?" Thalia was prevented from answering by the loudspeaker, which crackled on.

"Hello, folks. This is your captain, Leo Valdez speaking. We're about to take off, so take a seat 'cuz we're not stopping!" Leo's voice announced over the loudspeaker.

I turned to look at Percy.

"We're dead," I deadpanned.

"Mum hum," He muttered into my hair, sounding exhausted. I felt my heart ache as I realized what he'd just gone through- fighting Luke _and _Kronos. I knew his knuckles were bloody and his face was bruised- I could only imagine what his back and sides must look like.

"Thank you," I said quietly so only he could hear me. "Luke… he wasn't… I thought…" I trailed off, choking back a sob. The night's events were catching up to me, and it was obvious. My whole body hurt, and not just because of the brief fight I'd had with Luke. That machine- I shivered involuntarily. I'd never experienced pain half as bad as that in my entire life. Percy felt me shiver, I guess, because he wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"It's ok," he muttered. I mutely nodded, hating that my eyes stung with tears. _You will NOT cry, _I ordered myself. My eyes defied my mind though, as a few tears trailed down my face. I felt weak and useless, and I hated it.

"It's ok," Percy repeated, and I got the feeling he was saying it for his benefit as much as for mine. "Get some sleep," he ordered gently. "You've been through a lot." I just nodded again and closed my eyes, letting sleep wash over my exhausted and broken body.

-Line Break-

When I woke up, Percy was already awake. He had one arm wrapped protectively around me, the other hand playing idly with one of my curls. His eyes looked unfocused and his eyebrows were furrowed together- his thinking face.

"Percy?" I asked. "You ok?"

He snapped out of his daze and looked down at me, smiling.

"You're awake!" He grinned. "I'm fine- just thinking."

"That's dangerous," I teased.

"Contrary to popular belief," Percy replied, sticking his tongue out at me, "I am capable of thinking."

"Penny for your thoughts?" I said after a moment. Percy's smile faded as he looked out at the clouds visible through a window.

"Kronos said something about my dad," Percy answered. "He acted like he'd known him or something, but my dad was lost at sea years ago. He said he'd recognize a child of my bloodline anywhere, whatever that means. Then he said he was a Titan, like that should have meant something to me. What's a Titan anyway?"

"Well, in Greek mythology a Titan was like an ancient god, in a way." I explained. "You know Zeus and Hades and all those other gods? Well, in Greek myths, the Titans were what existed before the gods." At my explanation, Percy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"So… Kronos was trying to tell me he was an all-powerful Greek deity?" Asked my boyfriend dubiously.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes. "Titans couldn't die. Since Kronos died, he obviously wasn't a being from a ancient religion."

"Then why did he say he was a Titan?" Percy asked. I pursed my lips, thinking.

"It sounds like maybe the Titans is some sort of group, maybe?" I suggested. "It's an odd name, though."

"Yeah," Percy muttered. "Why did he think we'd know about his group?" I shrugged, stumped. "I don't really want to meet more people like Kronos," he added.

"Hopefully we won't," I relied honestly. "Kronos's little groupie means nothing to us- I have no idea why he told you he was a Titan."

"And my dad?" He asked quietly. "Do you think my own father would have interacted with people like Kronos?" I hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Kronos didn't want to see you, right? He talked about your father like he didn't like him, and if your dad had worked with Kronos he would have been excited to see you. Maybe he knew your dad, maybe not. But if he did, they must have not gotten along very well." I reassured him, and he nodded, looking relieved. The loud speaker crackled on and Leo's voice came over.

"We'll be landing just outside Manhattan in exactly fifteen minutes, the journey's almost over!" He cheered, the others joining in as they woke up. We broke through the clouds, the blinking lights of civilization welcomed us as we descended on a small clearing on an island just outside Manhattan.

The landing was slightly bumpy, but none of us cared. The moment the door was open everyone spilled out of the jet, ecstatic just at being _free._ Percy and I came out last, still sore from our ordeal.

We were all but bursting at the seams with happiness. We were free. _We were free! _Our brief happiness was interrupted as a figure emerged from the bushes, looking worried.

This particular figure had brown thinning hair and a beard, as well as being confined to a wheel chair.

"You need to come with me," he said gravelly as if he were speaking at our funerals.

"What?" Asked Leo incredulously with a _is this guy for real? _expression plastered on his face.

"Why?" Asked Percy, his voice guarded.

"Percy, you've grown," the man said almost wistfully. Percy blinked in surprise.

"Who are you?" He asked carefully.

"Not important," he dismissed. "Your father sent me, Percy, to fetch all of you."

"My dad?" Percy asked, his eyes wide with shock. Then his expression hardened. "My dad is dead- lost at sea years ago."

"No, he wasn't," the man replied, shaking his head. "He is very much alive, and very concerned. By killing Kronos, you have thrown yourselves into a complex battle that's been raging since before your birth. And you are all in terrible danger."

**And that's it for this story! I know this was the last chapter, but don't be afraid to review anyways… hint hint. Thanks so much to everyone who supported this story, from those who favorited or followed to those who reviewed. Hopefully I'll see you all again in **_**City of Secrets **_**;) Speaking of **_**City of Secrets, **_**here is the summary, as promised: **

**Percy and his friends have escaped MIST Academy, but they're far from safe. Kronos's death has outraged powerful enemies, and the teens are forced to pick sides in a battle that has been raging for years. Home is transformed from a safe haven to a dangerous battlefield as lives are changed forever. (Sequel to School of Secrets; the 2****nd**** installment to the Secrets Trilogy.) **

Anyways, that wraps up this story! Once again, thanks for all the support, it means a lot to me :) Reviewer's Question: dumbest secret you've been asked to keep? I had someone ask me to keep their nationality a secret- a boy in my class wanted to convince the substitute he was a British exchange student. (Like that would have worked- he doesn't know a thing about Britain, as far as I know. Besides, imitating an accent all period without messing up wouldn't have been easy.)

**Until next time! **__


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